


Tar and Feathers, Acid and Blood

by Mersheeple



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, F/M, Mythology - Freeform, Post-War, Pre-Relationship, masteries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27843820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: Something horrible is lurking in the kitchens of Hogwarts. The house elves are terrified and refuse to work in the kitchens until whatever it is has been dealt with. Snape is "volunteered" for the task.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 24
Kudos: 118
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons Gift Exchange





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [corvusdraconis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvusdraconis/gifts).



> Merry Christmas to the wonderful CorvusDraconis. <3

The problem with humans, Crookshanks felt, was that they were all so abominably _stupid_. Take the ginger haired moron for starters. No, seriously, take him away. Anywhere away from his girl. They called her ‘Mione. Which was as much of an abomination as his nickname of “Crooksie”. However, Hermione only called him that when she was incredibly sad. He could forgive her for that, he supposed.

He knew her name was Hermione but, when he had first met her, he had given her a name that seemed more fitting. He called her “Leonie”, Little Lion. It fitted her personality well. She was a fierce warrior after all. He called the ginger haired moron “Achbor”, Mouse or Rat. Again, it fitted his personality. And his smell. He smelled of death and deception and fear. Always of deception and fear. The smell of Death was new, post-war. He was tainted with it.

He had renamed most of the students who had returned after the war. They were perhaps the important ones. There was “Florian”, a tall boy who had blossomed and always smelled of flowers and mulch. There was “Loa”, a blonde girl with her head in the clouds and a sweet smile on her face. There was “Draco” though the name was actually his real name. And lastly, there was “Firebird”, Achbor’s sister and an incredibly good scratcher. She gave the best scratches on his head, particularly between the ears.

He had even named some of the Professors, those that were particularly important to his Leonie. There was “Silver”, the female human that smelled of heather and cat fur. There was “Aoi”, the female human that smelled like Florian. And there was his favourite, “Oderico”. Oderico was a dark haired, pale skinned man with a strange smell of herbs and spices and a tainted smell of acid. It might have been lemon or verbena or…well, it was strange.

Hermione, Leonie, whatever he called her, had a strange smell too. It smelled like spinach or other green leafy vegetables. When Leonie and Oderico were together there was no smell. It was as if they cancelled each other out. Everything was peaceful and quiet, and the scents were passive. It was like the opposite of catnip.

The ginger menace was back again. Talking down to his Leonie, the little lioness that she was, talking down at her and making her feel small, just because she wanted to stay at Hogwarts, the only home she had left. She was alone in this world, in a way that the ginger menace could not comprehend. He still had his whole family, one of the brothers damaged but thankfully not killed. There was the matriarch, the woman who smelled of flour. There was the patriarch, the man who smelled of fire and dirt. And then there were the brothers; the first who smelled of oil, the second who smelled of soot, the third who smelled of paper and metal filings, the twins who smelled similar but not quite the same (peppermint and spearmint, lemon and lime, grease and oil). And then the ginger menace who smelled of deception.

“Come on Mione, why would you want to stay here?” He looked confused and she opened her mouth. Crookshanks yowled slightly and darted under the bed. He could see what Achbor could not. She was angry. She was going to start screeching any minute. Crookshanks hated the screeching.

“Ronald Weasley! How many times do I have to explain this? I want to be more than a housewife. I don’t _want_ to have children straight out of school. I want more. I want to create more than children. I want to create spells and potions. I want more from life! And for the last _bloody_ time my name is HER-MY-OH-KNEE!” She ended with the shriek Crookshanks had expected and then there was a moment of silence. Crookshanks heard the slap, the moment echoing through the room. He screeched in affront and ran out to attack the ginger menace. He stopped, yowling in horror and darted for the half-open door to the chambers, running for the safety of somewhere away from the stink of burning bleach, tar, feathers and the screaming noise that was the call of the beast that stood in the place where Hermione had once been.


	2. Chapter 2

The House Elves were refusing to enter the kitchens. They continued to do their work but refused to cook at all. Meals were an utter nightmare and that was why Severus Snape found himself at a staff meeting at 7am on a Saturday. He had managed to brew his own coffee, quite literally brewing it in a cauldron when he was unable to find a coffee pot in the Room of Requirement. Or at least, not one that was complete and functioning. For some reason, anything kitchen related seemed to be working against them. Minerva called the meeting to start and he groaned, easing himself into a chair by the fire.

“We need a volunteer to approach the kitchens. I have attempted to talk to the house elves and found they will not ever enter into the kitchens until they are emptied of ‘the scourge of the dark’. We have no idea what that could be. Now do I have any volunteers to at least run some scans on the kitchens?” Minerva’s eyes caught his and he cursed under his breath. Of course, she would expect him to volunteer. Not the Charms Master, not the current Defence Against the Dark Arts incumbent, though she was vaguely useless, him. He rolled his eyes at her and then nodded slightly.

“Thank you Severus. If you need any help, I’m sure Filius or Anneliese will be willing to step in.” The diminutive Charms Professor nodded swiftly, though he looked nervous, nonetheless. The Defence Professor just rolled her eyes and attempted to avoid looking at him at all.

Anneliese Cowbell was not an attractive woman. Her narrow eyes were a sludgy green-grey colour, framed by short, light eyelashes that looked out of place under thick dark brown eyebrows. Her hair was thin, not unlike his own, but a dark brown colour that had no highlights or lowlights and thus looked flatter than his ever had. She was short and slim, with the body of a teenager and the mind of a haggard old shrew. Severus was fairly sure that everything about her was fake, including her qualifications to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. He would be reluctant to ask for her help any time soon. With great reluctance, he stood from the chair, swallowed the last of his lukewarm coffee with a mild shudder and headed out of the staff room towards the kitchens.

A strange noise from behind one of the suits of armour drew his attention. He reacted instinctively, his wand in his hand and a flurry of spells on his lips, casting before he had even finished turning. A yowl as the first spell struck its target sounded less than human and Severus paused, his shield holding as no spell was sent towards him. He frowned, keeping his shield up as he headed towards the suit of armour. He slipped into the alcove and cast the counter charm to disillusionment, confused when nothing appeared in the air in front of him. Confused, that was, until he looked down and saw a very disgruntled but familiar looking half-kneazle caught in one of his spells. He crouched down, laughing softly as he dispelled the stasis bubble.

“Hey Crooks, you startled me. Sorry buddy.” Severus reached forwards and scratched the squashed-faced feline between the ears. He stood back up, groaning softly as his back popped in three places. He was getting too old for this. He peered around the suit of armour, loath to repeat his, admittedly amusing, dramatic appearance from Potter’s last visit to the castle. Thankfully, no one was around and he was able to continue his journey to the kitchens in silence, the company of the ugly-yet-loveable ginger cat a welcome change from the solitude that he was used to. The cat-cum-kneazle was always welcome company; there was something about Crookshanks that made Severus feel mellow, unlike how he felt around the creature’s owner.

There was something about Hermione Granger that made Severus both uncomfortable and awkward. He had even _stuttered_ around her on more than one occasion. Severus groaned softly, refusing to think any more on the enigma that was Hermione Jean Granger.


	3. Chapter 3

The kitchens were in the bowels of Hogwarts, vaguely underneath the Great Hall and opposite the Hufflepuff Common Room. There was a painting on the wall that covered the entrance to the kitchens. It was a bowl of fruit and, as Severus had found out while still a student, by tickling the pear, the painting would swing open and access would be granted. At least, that was how it had always been. But the fruit on the painting always looked fresh and appetising. Until today.

Today the fruit was rotten, the bowl was chipped, flies flew through the picture, landing on the fruit and disappearing off into some other unknown painting. His stomach rolled and roiled, and he found himself gagging, though there was no stench. It was just the image of rotten fruit that was enough to make him feel ill. He did not want to touch the painting to tickle the pear. He chose, instead, to sink to the floor and stare at the painting. At least, that’s what he told himself.

The truth was, he felt too ill to move and sitting on the floor felt like a good way to make sure he did not have too far to fall when he passed out, as he felt he might. He stared at the painting, unsure what any of it meant. The House Elves, it seemed, might actually be right about there being a reason not to enter the kitchens.

Severus refused to cast any spells straight away. He thought that, perhaps, he could get information another way. He watched as Crookshanks pressed a paw against the wall before hissing and spitting, jumping away and glaring at the wall with a very displeased look on his face. Severus chuckled slightly and reached out a hand to stroke the cat to calm him down. The cat hissed, like it was in pain and Severus watched as the angry kneazle ran away, whipping around the corner and away, probably to go find his Mistress. Severus reached out to the wall to see if he could pick up on the magic that the kneazle was obviously being affected by. He yelped with pain, his hand instantly blistering and cracking. The wall was fiery hot, burning his skin and making him quietly whimper in pain. The heat was excruciating, and Severus watched with revulsion as the blisters burst and the skin underneath cracked again. His skin became hard and scaly and Severus swore, Occluding heavily to hide his body’s healing reaction. He stood in front of the painting again and quietly reached for the pear, shuddering slightly as it squelched under his finger, giving an evil-sounding laugh that would not have been out of place at a Death Eater Revel, and giving a half-smile of relief as the door to the kitchens creaked open.


	4. Chapter 4

The kitchen smelled _wrong_. The food wasn’t rotting like the fruit in the painting, which was due in no small part to the fact that there was almost no food left. The meat was gone, the vegetables were gone, the bread and potatoes had great chunks taken out of them. He glanced around and heard a strange noise coming from under the work surface opposite the door. It was something between a whimper, a growl and a hiss. He closed the door softly behind him and stared at the space by the work surface where a pair of golden yellow eyes stared out at him.

The thing under the work surface was black as pitch, darker even than the shadows found there usually. Severus stepped towards it slightly and watched as its eyes flickered towards him. He stepped forward again and the creature made another noise that he had not heard before. It growled, an angry, fierce sound that made him shudder. His Occlumency shields wavered as he moved towards it again as it growled, the eyes moving slightly before it moved out of the darkness. It was a large black lion with a black and brown mane, golden eyes and…he stopped. That was not a lion. Attached to its back was the horned head of a goat and, at the back of the monster that had appeared in front of him, was a red bellied black snake. _Chimera!_ His head pounded and he whimpered to himself, the blisters on his hand springing up again as his Occlumency shields dropped. He groaned in pain, his body contorting and warping as his groans continued, becoming deeper and more gravelly as he took on the Animagus form he had tried so hard to hide.

His body elongated, stretching and hardening, his hair raising around his neck and head to become a fringe of strangely coloured feathers. He hissed at the Chimera as it stepped towards him and he felt his feathers standing on end. It was a strange feeling, like a prickling on his neck, mixed with a tightness in his chest.

_Who are you?_ The voice in his head came from the direction of the Chimera, familiar and yet the name was just beyond his thought processes. It was not someone who he had ever met in this form, of that he was sure.

_I am Severus Snape, Potions Master. Who are you?_ His voice sounded similar to how it had after his run in with Nagini but there was a hissing noise behind it. The downside, he supposed, of being a serpentine Animagus.

_I am the Chimera, child of Typhon and Echidna, the blight of the darkness, taint of the creators, mother of the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion. What are you?_ He paused before answering. 

**Really? The taint of the creators? Is that near the Balls of Perfect Wisdom and the Hole of Imperfect Woe? Is their leader the Shaft of Utter Desperation?** He laughed to himself, realising the ancient being was serious as it growled at him. Again, he recognised the voice but he could not place it and, with a hiss of annoyance he answered again.

_I am Drakon Kholkikos, the Colchian Dragon, child of Typhon and Echidna, guardian of the Golden Fleece, brother of Orthrus, Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. I am the unsleeping, the ever watchful, the Father of the Spartoi, by my teeth thus stolen. How came you here?_ Severus was not in the mood to continue asking and answering questions. He wanted to know how to make the Chimera leave so that he could start having coffee again.

_I have always been here, buried in the soul of the leonine girl. Her hair holds many secrets, my mane holds more. Her heart holds strength that no one understands. My heart holds an acid that burns stronger than her strength. Her soul is strong and pure and beautiful and wise beyond her years, my soul is ancient and eternal and will never be pure but her purity is teaching my soul to forgive._ He stared at the Chimera. **A student? This was a student? Specifically, a Gryffindor female.** He frowned, as much as a serpent possibly could, considering he had no eyebrows.

_How do we help her revert her form?_ He knew it was the wrong question as soon as he thought it as the creature growled and the snake form tail struck out at him, its fangs sinking between his scales as if they were nought but butter. He felt the venom sink into his blood and cursed as it burned straight to his heart. He could feel it and knew that is would kill him instantly once it…he stopped, blinking, as the venom burned off completely before it hit his heart.

_Why would she want to revert to being a woman in a child’s body? Why would she want to go back to being not good enough? Why would she want to revert to being just a child? The ginger male that wants her to breed is still trying to force her to leave this place, just like you wish to…_ With a growl, the Chimera lunged at his throat and he turned, his neck feathers getting in the way of her powerful jaws. He was beginning to think he might know who the Chimera was, but he needed to check. And in order to check he needed to revert his form. But he was not going to do that while the Chimera was attempting to detach his head from his body.

_Let me speak to the ginger male. Let me show him what he has done to her. Let me teach him a lesson he will not soon forget. She deserves more than to breed. She deserves the world in its entirety. Let me help her to attain it._ He spoke quickly, the words close to a plea whilst also keeping in mind that she was not fully in control and was, in fact, imbued with the soul of an ancient being. The Chimera pulled back, its eyes narrowed and he lowered his head slightly in acquiescence. She nodded and stepped away.

_Go, brother, and find the child who has allowed me control._


	5. Chapter 5

Severus left the kitchens and reverted back to his human form. The whole situation was very delicate, very difficult and a hell of a lot less fun than he had hoped it would be. He paused outside the kitchens to make a decision about what he was to do next. First, he needed to double check that the missing student was indeed who he thought it was. Minerva would be able to check that, of course. With a heavy sigh, he headed towards the Headmistress’s Office. He was not looking forward to explaining to her what was happening in the kitchens. Nor was he particularly enthusiastic about having to reveal his Animagus form to anyone. He had managed to keep it secret since he was nineteen years old. He paused in his musings as he reached the Gargoyle and softly whispered the password, refusing to be heard saying something so ridiculous as “T’was brillig and the Slithey Tove…” The gargoyle chuckled and moved out of his way and he hopped onto one of the stairs as quickly as possible, letting it carry him to the top of the tower and the dark wooden door that opened into the one room he hated more than any other in the castle. The door opened as he reached to knock, and he took a breath to steel himself against the inquisition he knew was likely.

“Severus, please tell me you have news for me.” Minerva spoke as soon as he entered the room, and he rolled his eyes. She gestured to the seat in front of the fire, the chair he was used to sitting on when he came for tea and biscuits (or Firewhiskey and a moan), and he sat with a soft sigh, waiting for Minerva to join him before he spoke.

“We have a…challenge.” That was the understatement of the century, almost as pathetic as his statement that ‘joining the Death Eaters was a mistake’, but he did not want to frighten Minerva unnecessarily. Unfortunately, she knew him too well.

“A challenge? Would this challenge be insurmountable or easily fixable?” She pursed her lips and quirked an eyebrow at him and he smirked back.

“Neither. I need to confirm but, I believe I know who the ‘scourge of the dark’ is. That is part one of the challenge. The second part, unfortunately, is slightly trickier.”

“Explain, Severus. We have the time.” Minerva’s lips remained pursed and he took a deep breath before launching into an explanation.

“The creature in the kitchens is a Chimera, specifically a Melanistic Chimera. She claims to be an ancient, tainted soul, forever and eternal. She is also one of your Gryffindors, an older student. I suspect it is Hermione Granger as she spoke of the ‘Ginger Male’ which seems likely to be Mr Weasley. I believe there was an argument of some sort where Weasley suggested that she should be pleased to be his broodmare rather than continuing to live here and finish her schooling, or even potentially working an apprenticeship. She has had an emotional Transfiguration and she has become one of the Ancient Beasts of the Typhonian Offspring. Now, the challenge, of course, is two-fold. Firstly, only a Typhonian Offspring will be able to communicate with her, unlike other Animagi, because of the emotional state she was in when she changed. Secondly, she has no training in how to change back from her form and we need her to be able to change back because it is not safe to have a fully grown adult Chimera in the castle. So, I think the first step is to confirm that it is Hermione Granger. The second is to help her to transform back by changing her emotional state.” Severus paused to look at Minerva and noticed that she had blanched, her lips pursed, and her eyes wide. She took a shaky breath and opened her mouth to speak.

“Severus, how are we supposed to find a Typhonian Offspring? The last one on record was Colt Everglade, the graduate of Ilvermorny in 1675 and he was a Lernaen Hydra wasn’t he? Didn’t he get killed in the Salem trials in 1690-something? I’m sure they used his scales for experimental potions…?” She trailed off questioningly and he sighed, nodding as he waited for the next part of her questioning. She stared at him and he felt himself squirm slightly. Apparently she was not going to ask the question.

“A Typhonian Offspring change only occurs in extremely specific situations. Firstly, the individual must have been highly emotional at the time of the change. Secondly, the individual must have a ‘tainted’ aura. Do you know if Miss Granger had cast any dark spells during the War?” Severus was calm, waiting for the answer, yet under the surface he was agitated and could feel the dragon within flicking its claws and whipping its tail.

“We spoke about it once. She cast a few borderline curses. But Severus, it was a War. The only curse she ever regretted casting, the only one, was _Sectumsempra_. The others all hit Death Eaters, but the tail end of that curse hit another student, one of the younger years. The child is fine, just a small scar on his cheek that reaches the corner of his mouth, and Miss Granger has sought absolution and forgiveness from the student and his parents. Surely that is not enough to be a stain on her aura?” Minerva pursed her lips and raised a brow as he snorted with derision.

“Minerva, a badly placed _Jelly Legs Jinx_ is enough to stain an aura permanently. Sadly, humans are fickle things and the guilt we carry stains our auras just as much as any dark magic…”

“Oh well, if it is guilt that can stain an aura, that girl has it in spades. You heard, of course, about her parents?” Severus nodded, aware that the girl had cast an _Obliviate_ on her parents and then, when she had gone to find them to reverse the damage, had found only their headstones, with the wrong names.

“None of this changes anything, Severus, if we cannot talk to her and help her mood.” Minerva shook off the maudlin feeling far quicker than he and he was reminded of her strength, in spite of her age.

“I suggest that we start by confirming the girl is missing and speak to Mr Weasley at the same time. After that, I will go back to the kitchens and speak to her myself.” Severus sighed a breath between his teeth and shifted into his Animagus form for long enough to hear the Headmistress gasp and see her reach out to stroke his scales.

“Firstly, may I tell you how beautiful you are? Colchian Dragon am I right? I have never seen scales that lustrous before. Secondly, at least we have someone who can talk to her. Severus, can you stay calm while we talk to Mr Weasley?” Minerva quirked an eyebrow as he nodded slowly. He would stay calm. At least until the ginger menace drove him to distraction.


	6. Chapter 6

Sure enough, Mr Weasley was found in the Head Girl’s room, babbling like an idiot and staring at the black tar-like substance in the centre of the room. Severus stared at the tar first and cast a diagnostic spell on it. He warded it in the next breath, silently cursing his naivety. Chimera venom somehow mixed with human hair and blood. That proved that Hermione had been very emotional at the time of her first change.

Minerva was attempting to speak to the Weasley boy, but the child was pointing and whimpering and speaking in utter gibberish. Severus had had enough of the pathetic noise and, with a wave of his hand, silenced the boy before the whimpering could cause a headache. He stood in front of him, dropped himself to his knees and caught the boy’s eye, slipping silently into his mind without any trouble.

_“Come on Mione, why would you want to stay here?” He felt confused and Mione opened her mouth. Crookshanks yowled slightly and darted under the bed. He turned to look at where the stupid ugly beast had run to and then she started to shriek and he decided he should probably pay attention to her._   
_”…to explain this? I want to be more than a housewife. I don’t **want** to have children straight out of school. I want more. I want to create more than children. I want to create spells and potions. I want more from life! And for the last **bloody** time my name is HER-MY-OH-KNEE!” She ended with a shriek that he had not expected and then there was a moment of silence. Severus heard the slap, the moment echoing through the room. Hermione screeched in affront and Crookshanks ran out from under the bed, seemingly to attack the ginger menace. The half-kneazle stopped, yowling in horror and darting for the half-open door to the chambers, running for the safety of somewhere away from the fur and scales and the screaming noise that was the call of the beast that stood in the place where Hermione had once been, growling, gnashing and swiping out at him before it turned and ran away._

Severus pulled away from the boy’s mind, leaving it as intact as it ever had been, amused by the apparent lack of resistance from the dunderheaded boy. He turned to Minerva, nodding once to confirm he had the information he needed and whirled away, heading back to the kitchens and leaving Minerva to deal with the Weasley boy.

As Severus walked through the hallways of Hogwarts, he considered what he knew about the transformation and the creature that had taken over Miss Hermione Granger. Firstly, he knew that she had been highly emotionally charged when she had what he assumed was her first Animagus transformation. Secondly, she seemed strangely convinced that a marriage would be forced on her if the only way out that she could see was a transformation that had left her paramour a bumbling wreck and left her turned into a terrifying beast from legend.

Severus felt as if he was being watched and he turned, his wand held loosely in his hand, trying desperately not to jump back into his old attack-ready persona. If a cat could raise an eyebrow, that is exactly what Crookshanks would have done. Instead, he meowed, flicking his bottle brush tail from side to side before walking past Severus and heading towards the kitchen again, obviously requesting that Severus follow him. The growling meow that came from the request made Severus chuckle and he realised that perhaps it was not a request and was, in actual fact, a demand.


	7. Chapter 7

The walls of the castle hallways got warmer as he moved towards the kitchens and he found himself unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, loosening the cravat he still wore, just enough that he could breathe through the heat. It would not do for him to take the form that would cope best with the heat; he did not particularly want to scare all the students by gliding through the hallways as a giant terrifying serpent. He scared them enough in his human form as it was.

The painting in front of the kitchens was slightly less rotten than when he had first seen it. The fly was missing and the fruit, while still covered in blemishes, appeared to be slightly more solid than it had been. He reached out, calmly taking a breath as he tickled the pear which giggled like a child found spilling their food on the floor to feed the dog when they don’t like something, or like a child that had farted in the middle of the street, loud enough for people to hear. The half-kneazle stepped into the kitchen first and Severus transformed himself into his Animagus form before entering the kitchens quietly.

 _You came back to me, Severus Snape, Colchian Dragon, son of Typhon and Echidna. Did you find the ginger male?_ The Chimera stepped forwards towards him, strangely calm in her words.

 _I came back to speak to you, Hermione Granger, Great Melanistic Chimera, daughter of Typhon and Echidna. I have seen the words the ginger male spoke to you and I have left him babbling and incoherent with the Headmistress of this institution. I can tell you, calmly and honestly, my lady of darkness, that you will not be forced to marry anyone. Marriage is not necessary at this time. You are welcome here as a student of any of the arts of magic._ Severus lowered his head, bowing to the young woman in her Chimera form, hoping that she would hear the honesty of his words.

 _It is not that I do not wish to marry, I wish to do so on my own terms. I wish for the right to study under a great Master, to become a Master in my own right. A Mistress. Mistress of Charms. Mistress of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Mistress of Ancient Runes. I wish to study anything, everything, to take on Apprenticeships with the best of the best, to learn under the people here who I love, in this place that is more home than any has ever been. I wish to study here as a child, work here as a Mistress, live here as a Professor and die here as Headmistress._ She paused and he could not help the snort of laughter that escaped him.

 _You are the Brightest Witch of a Generation, a Typhonian Offspring Animagus, a member of The Golden Trio and the only person I know who could achieve Masteries in more than two subjects without even blinking. You will have offers from Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Septima Vector and Aurora Sinistra. You just have to study and finish your school year. And we are here to ensure that you will._ She made a strange sound and he looked at her, his feathered crest raising behind him as he found himself going on the defensive.

 _And what of you, Master of Potions and Defence? Will you, too, offer yourself to your sister? To the daughter of Typhon and Echidna? Will you offer yourself as a partner in studying?_ He was surprised that she would even have to ask. She had received some of the highest scores in his class since he had started teaching and he had stopped being an unmitigated git to her. And he was here, with her, in spite of the fact that technically she could kill him within minutes.

 _I will teach her, I will train her, I will make her Mistress of Potions, Mistress of Defence. If that is what my sister wishes._ Of course he would, whatever she wanted, whatever it would take to bring her back to them, to bring Hermione Granger back to them.

 _And if she wishes you to Master her?_ She smiled, laughing at him in her head as he flushed and unwittingly returned to his human form.

“Perhaps she should ask me herself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Merry Christmas all! <3


End file.
